RTÜK first ‘threatened’ then ‘fined’ broadcasters over coverage of fires

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The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) held its Supreme Board meeting where it discussed the sanctions to be imposed on the broadcasters that did not abide by its instruction to "not show the fires".

İlhan Taşçı, one of the two RTÜK members from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), was taken out of the room during the meeting of the Board yesterday (August 11) on the grounds of "comments reflecting bias." Okan Konuralp, the other RTÜK member from the main opposition party, has defined what happened in the meeting as "delirium."

Due to the coverage of fires and censorship, the RTÜK has fined broadcasters KRT, Fox TV, Habertürk, Halk TV and TELE 1.

CLICK - RTÜK threatens TV broadcasters with penalties over coverage of massive wildfires

Taşçı voted out 'as he revealed censorship'

İlhan Taşçı has made a written statement on Twitter about his removal from the meeting. "The reason for this is that I disclosed the attempted censorship on the coverage of fires via 'special line' and I shared with the public that the fines desired to be imposed over the coverage of fires would be discussed during the Supreme Board meeting today," Taşçı has said.

According to Taşçı's statement, RTÜK Chair Ebubekir Şahin accused him of "comments reflecting bias" during the Supreme Board meeting and İlhan Taşçı was prevented from attending the meeting with the votes of the other RTÜK members from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

Referring to his related social media post the day before, Taşçı has said that "he did not make the slightest implication about his vote today."

'Taşçı's removal was the first unlawful act'

Following the meeting, Okan Konuralp has talked about the fines imposed on TV channels over the coverage of fires and censorship.

CHP's Konuralp has defined the removal of CHP's Taşçı from the meeting as "the first of the lawless delusions of the council."

"Afterwards, it fined Fox TV over its live broadcast where the reporter uttered the remarks 'The flames are coming so fast, it is like a nightmare'," Konuralp has noted, briefly adding the following about the other fines:

"The RTÜK has also fined the channels that reported on the instruction to 'censor the news on fires' with statements and comments - including CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's reaction of 'We are under severe censorship. So, it has directly imposed censorship on politicians."

Sharing further details about the fines, Konuralp has announced that six channels have been fined over their coverage of fires, including the comments on censorship, as part of 17 files by a majority of votes.

RTÜK Chair: Don't distort the incident

RTÜK Chair Ebubekir Şahin has also made a brief statement on his social media account following the Supreme Board meeting.

Noting that "they discussed removing İlhan Taşçı from the meeting over his comments reflecting bias in the social media messages that he shared before the meeting," RTÜK Chair Şahin has said that "in the vote taken as per the related legislation, it was decided that Taşcı would not join the meeting only during the discussions on the related files." 

"This is the reality. I ask you to not distort the incident," he has added.

TGS: RTÜK is an institution of censorship

The Journalists' Union of Turkey (TGS) has criticized the RTÜK over the fines. "The RTÜK, which has been turned into an institution of censorship, has fined the channels that covered the fires. The mindset that prevents the people from learning the truth and tries to impose censorship instead of putting out the fires will lose, journalism will win," the TGS has said.

"The press is free, it cannot be censored," it has added. (HA/SD)